The true northerner. [volume] (Paw Paw, Mich.) 1855-1920, 1887-09-28

her fairy prince of few years past,
her elegant and daint.iy raised Everett,
a failure in all that lie undertook. She
knew of his appealing by letter to his
father for forgivness and assistance,
and she read the sarcastic refusal con-
tanned in the reply, with its sneering
allusion to herself. She saw her hus-
band become dissipated and de-
sp sed; she bore children, and fol-
lowed them to the grave, when better
treatment and more comforts would
have saved them. She labored with
her hands as she had never labored in
the cotton-mill She cleaved t. that
unworthy man in the worst of lire
port, with a sublime faith and heroism
which are only shown by women.
"Time softens al asperit es." Years
of practical childlessness produced
their natural effect upon the father OF
Everett Travis. The barriers Of pride
and obstinacy were strong and high;
but at last they yielded. a letter came
to the poor Western home, informing
the son that his mother was stricken
with paralysis, and likely to die. 1t
implored him to return at once, bring
ing his wife, and gave repeated assur-
ance that everything should be for
given.
The answer, anxiously expected, was
brief and unsatisfactory. 1t was writ
ten 10y Julia She said that both her
husband and herself were saddened by
the intelligence of his mothers illness;
that both wished to go at once to her,
but they could not. Everett could not
write, and he had requested her to
do so.
rs that all ?" asked the dying mother.
"Yes, Sophy; that's all. +"
"Oh, dear / shall never see him
again-my darling, my only child! Did
you send them money to come, limo
thy?"
NO. groaned the repentant father.
81 didn't think of that"
20, timothy"
"But L don't believe they'd come,
anyway. It's queer letter. She don't
even say that Envy rs sick"
When the sufferer was dead and
buried, Mr.. Travis resolved to go in
person and look up his hayward son.
A long railroad journey brought him
to the city of his home, and with much
difficulty he found his mean habitation.
To the thin, careworn woman whom he
found there, he introduced himself as
Everett's father. She looked at him
with stony eyes.
Il am his wife," she said. "You dis
owned him years ago on my account;
now you have come too late to find
him."
"He is net dead?" Mr.. Travis cried.
"No; but if you persist IN seeing
him you will wish he was"
"Where is he? Take me to him."
Beware, sir L warn you. / say it
is too late for your hard heart to be
moved. You had better go back, and
not insist on seeing him."
Il must see him."
She put on her battered bonnet and
faded shawl, and without word con-
Quoted him through busy streets to a
gloomy and vast stone building. They
walked through offices, halls, and
courts and were stopped by man at
strongly barred door.
do you want to look, Mrs. Travis? ?"
the guard respectfully asked.
"Yes; do you look, too?"
Her companion did as she directed
Through wicket in the door that the
guard Enclosed some hundreds of men
were seen marching across large open
court. Guards with muskets were
posted about. The men who marched
had close-cropped hair and wore q
queer striped dress. Each man of the
double-file had his right hand on the
left shoulder of the man next in front
of him. Among them Mr.. Travis rec
ognized his son.
Why, what's all this?' he asked.
You are in the States Prison, sir,
said Julia, coldly. "Yonder is your
son - nay husband. You repudiated
him because he chose to marry me; he
had not strength enough to be man
without your help-and there he is.
L warned you, but you would come"
The old mans pride and GOODNESS re-
turned at once.
What is he here for?" he asked.
For a killing done in drunken
brawl. He is in for life"
"Come away, then. | never want to
hear his name again. Once more L
disown him, but l will provide for you.
The law will free you from him; he is
civilly dead. Come home with me-"
Poor, distressed, almost hopeless,
she flashed such indignation upon him
that he covered away from her.
"He is my husband" she said. "You,
his own father, may cast him away; L
will never leave him. L know all you
said of him and me when we were
welded. / saw the two letters you
wrote him. He was your idol. You
have shown-you are showing-how
cheap thing a fathers love may be.
/ am his wife, l say; that is my answer"
He tried to put money in her hands,
to tell her of large check he would
send her.
Il will burn it," she answered, and
left him.
She went back to her loneliness and
hard poverty.
But the result was what might cas-
lily be foreseen. The woman's faith,